


A Study on Magic

by houfukuseisaku



Series: virtus migrat in vitium [5]
Category: Evillious Chronicles
Genre: Gen, Worldbuilding(?), magic through the eyes of our favourite resident unethical scientist, set in the astrainc-verse but can also be applied to canon. if you squint., shorter than my usual fare but lets just say seth isnt a wordy guy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-08-10 12:57:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20135824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/houfukuseisaku/pseuds/houfukuseisaku
Summary: The notes of a certain bespectacled scientist, detailing his thoughts and findings.





	1. Chapter 1

Entry #1,

Magic.

In an attempt to visualize my findings, I will use the "door" metaphor my work colleague so graciously provided to me just last week. Rest assured, my blue-blooded friend, your contributions to my studies are much appreciated.

Returning to the matter at hand, picture: a number of doors within one’s core, each leading to wells of energy, reserves of power. Some are attuned to their doors; able to simply swap the nature of their spells at will. Others are blind to those portals, only being able to utilize the magic from a door currently open. The doors represent magic proficiency or type, and the energy contained behind the door is magic potential.

Most choose to only depend on the energy released from a single door, comfortable in their birth proficiency. None have yet claimed to be a prodigy of all doors known to magic-kind: light, darkness, the four classical elements, nature, and other less-defined specializations.

Very rarely is a door opened wide; most reveal only a fraction of the person’s full magic potential, and to use all energy contained behind a door in one single spell can be disastrous for the caster.

At best, it can result in a temporary severance of the soul from the body, a link that can be restored with time and healing; at worst, the magic-user’s soul will be used as the fuel needed to power the rest of the spell, ensuring its completion at the cost of the caster’s life.

It is advised to immediately dispose of the corpses created through this process, since the husks are completely drained of magic and thus much more susceptible to dark arts such as necromancy than common dead bodies.

While difficult, it is not impossible to change one’s magic proficiency. As demonstrated by Subject Three, birth proficiency in fire magic did not prevent her from learning the dark arts, though crude in form and without the leeching abilities necromancers are known and reviled for. Of course, some motivation was required for her to willingly change in such a drastic way; appealing to her darker nature worked wonders, and the syndrome took care of the rest.

Further experimentation required in this area.

Ah, I must be going; the Queen calls me to her side yet again.

_—ST_


	2. Chapter 2

Entry #2,

A brief overview on magic proficiency.

Current consensus agrees that magic can be divided into four main categories:

  * Light magic.

Pure and holy; some would even claim “godlike”. Those people are branded as heretics, or at the very least religious fanatics. It is a magic mostly thought of in the metaphysical sense. Enlightenment, knowledge, visions—all of which fall under the banner of light magic, according to its practitioners.

Personally, I think that’s a load of nonsense and wishful thinking. What is light but energy? Dim, bright, warm, cold; all that matters is the energy given off, the raw power. Radiance. Blinding, awe-inspiring. Dangerous in the wrong hands, and sometimes even in the right ones. It is the magic of mere mortals who think they can control something so divine. The magic of scholars and fools alike.

I admit a certain bias towards—or is it against?—this branch of magic.

After all, in this hallowed nation of gods given human flesh, one knows that light does not necessarily equal good. It can be just as destructive as darkness, soul-consuming in the same way as well. Perhaps even more so.

  * Dark magic.

When spoken of, it is respected and reviled in the same breath. The religious upper echelons hold no small dislike for dark magic, and in their opinion rightly so. It is said to be born of energy unnatural, of nightmares and the dead brought to life. But I would argue otherwise. Is darkness not the natural state of things? It is only by the grace of the sun and moon that one has light to be guided by, or a lesser light created by human hands to show the way.

Still, I understand their hesitance. Dark magic feeds and feeds off of fear, hatred, every negative emotion conceivable. It twists those wretched things into power, and that power is what can lead to aforementioned unnatural things. Because of this, practitioners of this magic are often all cursed with the moniker of necromancer, though that’s hardly true. Darkness is not all about raising the dead. There are also shadows and unending hunger. There is so, so much more.

Subject Three has proven it so, to my delight.

  * Elemental magic.

Further subdivided into four specializations; fire, water, wind, and earth. Elemental magic differs from that of light, dark, or nature through its method of conjuration. Equivalent exchange—the law by which the Netsuma’s alchemic arts operates (possible connection? further investigation required) is also the one that binds the magic of the elements.

To put it simply, elemental magic-users can only manipulate that which is already there. Ask a fire-caster to perform a dance of flames, and they will ask first for a lit candle. Ask a water-caster to fashion spears of ice, and they will ask first to be provided a basin of liquid.

There have been reports of elemental magic-users being able to combine or otherwise chain their spells together, to varying effects. An interesting thought, but one that must be filed away for now. I will deal with that potential headache later.

  * Nature magic.

We do not speak of this magic in Levianta. It is forbidden, obsolete, evil. It implies worship of the Earth God Held and alliance with our enemy, the heretical nation of Heldogort.

Personally, I find it beautiful. Healing and soothing. Nature grows, with or without human guidance. Nature suppressed, distorts. It is folly to deny nature its course, yet this country seems adamant in charting its own demise by doing just that!

Well, far be it for me to stop that catastrophe from taking place. Maybe when this place is razed to ash and nature begins its reclamation of the land, I will be able to glean some fragment of gratification in being so instrumental to the death of the gods at last. Old blood has no place in this new world. Hypocritical as I am for saying that, but maybe I too am seeking eternal rest? I don’t know.

I don’t know, and for now, I don’t quite care to know. I must simply continue on with my experiments. That is more than enough proof of existence for me.

* * *

Ah, I’ve strayed far from the original topic, have I not? There are other magics beyond these four, but those are beyond my reach and understanding. Perhaps one day I will find suitable test subjects to further my research on the topic. As for now, perhaps a short repose would be best.

There is an unease in the air that fills even the sterile halls of the Research Institute. I fear whatever looms on the horizon, if only because I have yet to truly finish my preparations. I know they are whispering lies in her head. I cannot yet lose my most influential puppet to those stubborn ghosts of the past. But maybe I can counter their lies with one of my own.

Gods given human flesh, hm? We'll see about that.

_—ST_


End file.
